Henry Germain
Viking sophomore Reed Hoffman stands over his opponent during the fifth match of the team’s first dual meet of the season on Thursday at home. According to Hoffman, starting the season with a strong performance was a key goal. “It's good I come out at the beginning of the season with a win off the bat, and especially in a dominant way," Hoffman said. "It really sets me up to continue that pace.”
The Palo Alto Vikings (0-0) wrestling team, fueled by a run of pins and forfeits in the latter half of the meet, overcame an early setback Thursday to storm past the Lynbrook Vikings (0-0), 53-25, in their first dual meet of the season, turning a shaky start into a runaway victory.
The evening began with Lynbrook controlling the tempo. In the opening match, Paly freshman Max Harrison lost by pin, giving Lynbrook an early 0-6 lead. The struggles continued through the next four matches, despite a gritty performance from Paly junior Kenneth Godoy in the fourth match. Godoy fought through a high-scoring bout but ultimately fell, leaving Paly trailing Lynbrook 12-21.
The momentum began to shift during the fifth match. Paly sophomore Reed Hoffman secured a technical fall, overwhelming his opponent to narrow the team score to 17-21. According to Hoffman, his dominant performance was about setting a standard for the year.
“It’s good I come out at the beginning of the season with a win off the bat and especially in a dominant way,” Hoffman said. “Really sets me up to continue that pace.”
After a loss in the sixth match, which pushed Lynbrook’s lead back up to 17-25, Paly needed a spark. They found it in Paly junior Brian Miller. In the seventh match, Miller executed a clean sequence, securing a takedown and a reversal before pinning his opponent just 30 seconds into the second period.
According to Miller, the match served as a tone-setter for his junior campaign.
“For me, it was just more of … warm up, just getting me acclimated to the season,” Miller said. “This match was very clean for me. I’m not used to coming out first match, very clean like that. So it’s just kind of like a landmark for what this season is going to be like for me.”
Miller’s pin brought the team score to 24-25, placing Paly within striking distance. The lead finally changed hands in the eighth match when freshman William Ostby accepted a forfeit, putting Paly ahead, 30-25.
From there, the Paly team never looked back. The team’s dominance from this point on was led by senior and team captain James Otuhiva. In the ninth match, Otuhiva engaged in a heavy grappling exchange before securing a takedown and a forceful pin just seconds before the first period expired.
Hoffman said Otuhiva’s leadership was a stabilizing force for the squad.
“I’ve known him [Otuhiva] since I was in elementary school, so he’s just always been someone I’ve just known and can look up to and he helps me with anything I have trouble with,” Hoffman said.
Otuhiva’s victory widened the gap to 36-25, shaking Lynbrook’s morale. Paly senior Atticus Ayres followed suit in the 10th match, racking up points with multiple takedowns to build a 10-1 match lead before securing a strong pin in the second period.
Following a forfeit by Paly freshman Deacon Gibbs in the 11th match, Paly sophomore Daniel Zappas capped off the night in the 12th. After a scoreless first period full of grappling, Zappas secured a takedown and maintained dominant top control, eventually pinning his opponent midway through the second period to finalize the score at 53-25.
According to Paly head coach Jonathan Kessler, while the victory was decisive, the dual highlighted the disparity between the team’s veterans and the newcomers.
“Just kind of sticking with it, going year-round, with the wrestlers that you know, put the time in … and then you get a bunch of whole new kids, and it’s great to work with them and get them up to speed,” Kessler said. “Clearly, there’s some areas that we need some work in … but just keep it rolling back in the practice room tomorrow and back at it.”
Despite the areas needing improvement, the team remains optimistic about the depth of the roster. According to Miller, the effort from the younger wrestlers was just as important as the result.
“It was good to see these new guys out there,” Miller said. “You know, win, lose or draw, they put up a fight and that’s what we really want to see out there. So we’re looking good.”
Miller said that while it is nice to face tough competition early, getting a clean first win in the first dual provides a necessary confidence boost before the schedule intensifies.
“We got a lot of hard tournaments coming up, so it’s good to get that first dual out of the way so that these upcoming tournaments, it’s a smooth transition,” Miller said.
The Paly team will look to carry this momentum into their next dual as they face the Los Gatos Cats (0-0) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at home.